The mediation role of emotion regulation in the relationship between weight-related lifestyle self-efficacy, psychological distress and weight loss

Lifestyle self-efficacy related to weight and psychological distress, are the factors that play important roles in the determination of emotion regulation strategies in obesity surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the mediation role of emotion regulation in the relationship between weight-related lifestyle self-efficacy, psychological distress and weight loss in obese patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy surgery method. The research method was descriptive correlational and the statistical population included all obesity patients who had undergone sleeve gastrectomy surgery at the Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center and 200 of them were selected by available sampling method. Research instruments included Body Mass Index, Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale- short form, and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling method. The results of this study showed that the total effect of self-efficacy on weight loss (P<0.01, β=0.247) and the indirect effect of self-efficacy via emotion regulation (P<0.01, β=0.088) were significant. The total effect of psychological distress on weight loss (P<0.05, β=-0.254) and the indirect effect of psychosocial distress via emotion regulation were significant (P<0.01, P=-0.010). It seems that self-efficacy reduces psychological distress by influencing the person and increasing effective emotion regulation, leading to weight loss.